Business Blog

Internet still a problem for SMEs

Research conducted by outsourcer Freelancer.com has indicated that poor business broadband coverage remains a serious problem for UK firms.

Out of 1,500 respondents, 57 per cent said that poor quality of internet access had a detrimental effect on their ability to trade effectively, while 65 per cent bemoaned the rural urban divide.

The results of the survey were consistent across the nation, with businesses in relatively urban areas such as the south-east just as concerned about a lack of rural broadband.

Matt Barrie, chief executive of Freelancer.com, said: "Reliable and robust internet access is essential for all UK businesses to take advantage of new business opportunities the internet provides."

Mr Barrie added that firms based in Britain's countryside were missing out on good internet-based communications as well as valuable e-commerce opportunities, saying that it "shouldn't be easier for someone in London to have a business Skype call with someone in Pakistan than with someone in Halesworth in Suffolk".